| Navy | The Royal Navy |
| Type | Submarine |
| Class | U |
| Pennant | N 19 |
| Built by | Vickers Armstrong (Barrow-in-Furness, U.K.) |
| Ordered | 4 Sep 1939 |
| Laid down | 2 Nov 1939 |
| Launched | 20 Apr 1940 |
| Commissioned | 17 Aug 1940 |
| Lost | 25 Nov 1942 |
| Loss position | 38.31N, 12.01E |
| History | On 25 November 1942 HMS Utmost (Lt. John Walter David Coombe, RN) was sunk about 40 nautical miles west-north-west of Capo San Vito, Sicily, Italy in position 38º31'N, 12º01'E by depth charges from the Italian torpedo boat Groppo. |
Commands listed for HMS Utmost (N 19)
Please note that we're still working on this section.
| Commander | From | To | |
| 1 | Lt. John Henry Eaden, DSC, RN | 24 Jun 1940 | 30 Jan 1941 |
| 2 | Lt.Cdr. Richard Douglas Cayley, RN | 30 Jan 1941 | 4 Apr 1942 |
| 3 | Lt. Anthony Walter Langridge, RN | 4 Apr 1942 | Sep 1942 |
| 4 | Lt. John Walter David Coombe, RN | Sep 1942 | 25 Nov 1942 (+) |
You can help improve our commands section
Click here to Submit events/comments/updates for this vessel.
Please use this if you spot mistakes or want to improve this ships page.
Noteable events involving Utmost include:
Prestwich Urban District adopted HMS Utmost during a fund raising "Warship Week" aimed at raising money to pay for a ship from particular towns. The Town of Prestwich was presented with an oak plaque/shield made of materials from the submarine. The plaque was on display in Prestwich Town Hall until Prestwich joined Bury. The plaque is now in Bury Museum.
12 Feb 1941
HMS Utmost (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Cayley, RN) torpedoed and damaged the Italian merchant Manfredo Camperio (5463 GRT) off Tripoli, Libya in position 35°41'N, 23°01'E. (see map)
9 Mar 1941
HMS Utmost (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Cayley, RN) torpedoed and sank the Italian merchant Capo Vita (5683 GRT) about 30 nautical miles north-east of Sousse, Tunisia in position 36°09'N, 11°07'E. (see map)
28 Mar 1941
HMS Utmost (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Cayley, RN) attacked a convoy of 5 German merchants and three Italian destroyers and torpedoed and sank the German merchants Heraklea (1927 GRT) and torpedoed and damaged the Ruhr (5954 GRT) 22 nautical miles south-east of Kuriat, Tunisia in position 35°40'N, 11°19'E. (see map)
30 May 1941
HMS Utmost (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Cayley, RN) makes a torpedo attack on a convoy made up of the German merchant Tilly L.M. Russ (1600 GRT) and the Italian merchant Cadamosto (989 GRT) escorted by the Italian torpedo boats Pallade and Polluce off Sirte. All torpedoed fired missed their targets.
26 Jun 1941
HMS Utmost (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Cayley, RN) torpedoed and sank the Italian merchant Enrico Costa (4080 BRT) 4 nautical miles from Cape Todaro, Sicily, Italy in position 38?07'N, 14?37'E.
At 1200 hours a partly laden merchant ship of about 6000 tons was sighted bearing 060, 5 nautical miles away. Utmost closed to 1100 yards and fired two torpedoes. One of the torpedoed hit amidships. The crew abandoned ship but this did not sink. Utmost later fired a third torpedo that hit and sank the ship (see map)
28 Jul 1941
HMS Utmost (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Cayley, RN) torpedoed and sank the Italian merchant Frederico C. (1466 GRT) in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea of the west coast of Calabria, Italy in position 39°28'N, 15°52'E. (see map)
1 Nov 1941
HMS Utmost (Lt. J.D. Martin, RN) destroys the (already grounded and damaged) Italian merchant Marigola (5996 GRT) off Kuriat Island, Tunisia.
2 Nov 1941
ORP Sokol (Lt.Cdr. B. Karnicki) and HMS Utmost (Lt. J.D. Martin, RN) together sink the Italian merchant Balilla (2469 BRT) about 20 nautical miles north-west of Capo San Vito, Sicily, Italy in position 38°22'N, 12°20'E. (see map)
12 Dec 1941
HMS Utmost (Lt.Cdr. R.D. Cayley, RN) attacked the Italian merchant Fabio Filzi (6836 GRT) in the Gulf of Taranto in position 39°47'N, 17°22'E. Both torpedoes fired missed their target.
(see map)
10 Aug 1942
HMS Utmost (Lt. A.W. Langridge, RN) fires four torpedoed against the Italian merchant Siculo off Marettimo. All torpedoed missed their target.
13 Oct 1942
HMS Utmost (Lt. J.W.D. Coombe, RN) torpedoed and sank the German tanker Languste (2070 GRT) off Cape Figari, Sardinia, Italy in position 41°01'N, 09°38'E. (see map)
23 Nov 1942
HMS Utmost (Lt. J.W.D. Coombe, RN) possibly attacks the Italian auxiliary minelayer Barletta (332 GRT) with torpedoes about 40 nautical miles north-west of Capo San Vita, Sicily, Italy in position 38°31'N, 12°01'E. All torpedoes missed their target. (see map)